November 13, 2014 by Charlotte Wittbom Classical Dressage

New Bairn / Nytt Barn & New Barn

Cheshire, Classical dressage clinic, Classical Horsemanship, Classical Riding UK, Working in hand
Charlotte Wittbom, Classical Dressage, classical dressage clinic in England, classical dressage clinic uk, Classical dressage Manchester, Classical riding clinics, Work in hand
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Once again there are only a few weeks to Christmas and there are so many things to fit in between now and then. The last few months have been very busy too, what with my growing family and horses to train and clinics to teach. I feel very lucky though, that I have been able to combine all of these these things. To everyone who has attended a clinic or lesson since our daughter was born, I want to express heartfelt thanks for being so welcoming and patient with us and all of the paraphernalia and distractions that come with a new baby!

There has been plenty of exciting work in the making since my last post. I had a very interesting seminar in Sweden as part of the project I am collaborating on with two very experienced Swedish colleagues – a project called Ridanalys. We are three instructors working in different fields: Toini Pettersson is a teacher in Centered Riding and Ewa Åsberg is a Personal Coach. I then focus on the training of the horse. Together we have developed a Swedish-language programme of online training and support which can be accessed via http://www.ridanalys.se. The project is still in development so please be patient for more information to come.

My recent demonstration at New Barn in Cheshire was a very exciting and enjoyable experience for me. I hope that everyone who came to watch could take something useful away with them. I demonstrated ‘work in hand’, showing some of the steps from the basic foundations toward more collected work. My horse Cartuxo was helping me and behaved very well – especially considering he’s newly gelded.

Following the demo we had a one day clinic, which – being just down the road from our house in Cheshire – meant that I didn’t have to pack up the suitcases and catch a plane this time! A new experience and a very enjoyable one for me.

I’m pleased to say that two further dates have been added – the 14th and 15th of December – for one day clinics at New Barn. There will be one work in hand lesson in the morning and one riding lesson in the afternoon, with your choice of 30 minute or hour long lessons. Lessons are on a one-to-one basis. The work in hand will be very suppling and is worked in walk so it will not be too tiring for your horse.

Cost: EITHER 2 x 30 minutes sessions = £65 in total (inclusive of arena hire), OR 2 x 1 hour sessions = £130 total (inclusive of arena hire). Boxes are available for daytime stabling if required, for an additional charge. Please email info@charlottewittbom.com for further information.

Sessions can be tailored to the requirements of horse and rider so please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions. The places have already started to fill so please let us know as soon as possible as the numbers are limited.

September 18, 2014 by Charlotte Wittbom Classical Dressage

Demonstration and a clinic, New Barn, Cheshire

There’s a lot for me to look forward to this autumn – three trips to Sweden for clinics; clients horses coming to stay with us for training, and some students coming for short courses here on our farm in Cheshire.

I’ll also be giving a demonstration just down the road at New Barn, Ollerton, Cheshire on Friday the 17th of October. The focus will be on the ‘work in hand’ exercises that I use to supple my horses and that I believe are very worthwhile for everyone to learn and use in their daily work. 7pm start; £10 admission on the night. Further details in the flyer below.

Following on from the demonstration, I will be teaching a one day clinic on Monday, 3rd November – again at New Barn, Cheshire. There will be one work in hand lesson in the morning and one riding lesson in the afternoon, with your choice of 30 minute or hour long lessons. Lessons are on a one-to-one basis. The work in hand will be very suppling and is worked in walk so it will not be tiring for your horse.

Sessions can be tailored to the requirements of horse and rider so and your horse so please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions. The places have already started to fill so please let us know as soon as possible as the numbers are limited.

September 2, 2014September 2, 2014 by Charlotte Wittbom Classical Dressage

It’s the little things that matter

The summer is soon changing to autumn and I am aware that it has been another long absense in my writing. The family is now one person larger and our daughter Sigrid has already been introduced into the horse world. I am very grateful for our ‘Baby Björn’ that allows me to combine my work with motherhood.

It is wonderful to be back in the saddle again. But a lot of things change after giving birth. Our bodies change physically and it’s taking some time to get the same feeling back that I had before my pregnancy. Also, in my mind I am more aware of the things that are not allowed to happen, since I now have another little person who needs me. So the need to do things safely is at the forefront of my thoughts once again. I suppose that being near to such a life changing event makes us aware of our vulnerability, as it does when we suffer an injury or a frightening experience with our horses. But, these feelings, I think are by no means a bad thing. My own response has been to reflect on the detail and the method of my work – slowing everything down so that I clearly see the progress in the small steps. I make sure that I first lunge the horse, even though it might seem not to be always absolutely necessary. This helps me to read my horse – his mood, his fitness and energy, as well as the context we’re working in – the weather and any distractions around us. I can assess how he can use himself in the three gates without the rider. I also then work a little from the ground, making sure that the horse is supple and relaxed before I start to ride. If I come across a problem that we can work on from the ground – we’ll address it there and then. It helps to concentrate on the small details in these situations because our work then becomes more considered and methodical, which in turn builds confidence and a sense of ease and control. Look after the detail and the bigger picture will look after itself.

Clinic in Stockholm.

Clinic in Stockholm.

Clinic in Stockholm.

Clinic in Stockholm. Amendoim and his rider.

Teaching work in hand with the Lusitano Amendoim.

Equador da Encosta

The summer has been full of meeting up with people and horses who I haven’t seen for a while, because I’ve not been able to ride or travel. Very happily for me, we welcomed Equador back for a short stay while his new owner was on holiday. It was wonderful to sit on his back again. I also returned to Sweden to teach several clinics and enjoy seeing the advances my clients continue to make with their horses. Now, we’ll enjoy the last days of summer back in Cheshire. Until the next time…

February 18, 2013February 21, 2013 by Charlotte Wittbom Classical Dressage

Rein, Rein, Go Away!

Teaching clinics in different countries shows me that there are still cultural differences in this global age. In Portugal, a spot of rain or a cool breeze is reason enough to hide indoors. In Sweden – where I have been teaching clinics for much of the last month – temperatures of -22 degrees aren’t sufficient to deter clients from bringing their horse to a riding clinic. Then, in England – where I have been teaching this last week – clients come fully prepared for twelve months of weather in one day! But thankfully we have enjoyed beautiful early spring sunshine this time.

Difficult weather conditions – whether extreme heat, sub-freezing cold or torrential rain – can get in the way of our enjoyment of riding and any training programme we may have planned. Our horses too can become frustrated if we can’t ride, work them or let them loose as usual. Then when we can take an opportunity to work with them, their stored up energy can make them difficult to handle.

Of course, having access to an indoor arena makes things easier, but when it is -22 degrees, it even freezes inside! In such circumstances, attempting concentrated work with a horse that just wants to run and buck is very difficult. The best thing is to accept the situation, ride when it is possible and work the horse in hand when the weather or ground conditions don’t allow riding. If you can hack out, perhaps incorporate some leg yields, shoulder in, or other lateral work on a quiet road where it’s safe to do so.

Any kind of developmental work you can do is better then nothing at all, but if you can’t ride or train at all for a while – it’s ok: your horse won’t forget what you have been doing. In fact a break can help him to process things and mature, so that when you pick up training again he’ll be better prepared in his mind, if not in his body.

Thank you to my students and friends across Sweden and in Oxfordshire, where I had the pleasure to teach for the first time last weekend. It was a joy to move from the bleak Scandinavian winter to see snowdrops hopefully heralding the lengthening sunny days in England. I’m looking forward to the next visit.

Thanks to Ulrika Malm and Maria Håkansson for the photographs from my clinics in Sweden.

November 14, 2012November 14, 2012 by Charlotte Wittbom Classical Dressage

Arte Equestre

Recently we welcomed a new friend to Quinta do Brejo for a riding holiday. She revealed a wonderful talent to us that we would like to share with you…

This series of photographs was taken by Ulrika Malm – a recent guest at Quinta do Brejo who works as a professional photographer. You can click on the images to enlarge them. And you can see more of her beautiful work at www.ulrikamalm.se. Thank you to Ulrika for allowing us to share the images here.

Moon Fox Spanish Mustang with Charlotte Wittbom

June 30, 2012June 30, 2012 by Charlotte Wittbom Classical Dressage

Over the Moon

And so with heavy hearts we have waved goodbye to Moon Fox, the Spanish Mustang mare we have had the pleasure of training here at Quinto do Brejo for the past four months.

Moon came to us as a five year old at the beginning of her schooling and has now rejoined her owner to continue her development into the very fine horse I know she will become. It has been a wonderful experience to work with such a beautiful strong mare and to know her unique characteristics as well as those she shares with her Lusitano cousins. Every horse I come to know brings new experiences and new learning.

At five years old, Moon’s musculature was already beginning to be well developed, but having lacked the gymnastic work that would often take place from around the fourth birthday, her physique was quite tight and inflexible. We started then with a lot of work in hand to supple and free her in walk. This helped to build the right foundations for the balance and strength necessary for ridden work.

On the other hand, being five years old, Moon had the mental maturity to progress quickly with the ridden work. You will see from the photographs that we found we were able to introduce the double bridle relatively soon in her training. For a young horse at Moon’s stage of development, this is more helpful in encouraging and supporting flexions of the neck and the suppling work from the ground, than as an aid to collection (as the horse matures, there will be more potential for collection in ridden work).

The early photographs also show that Moon’s physiology gave her a tendancy to fall on to her forehand. Therefore we incorporated lots of exercises – such as rein-back from the ground – to encourage her to carry her weight more evenly.

By the end of her period of schooling with us, Moon had progressed very well through the basic lateral work and is beginning to find self-carriage in the more difficult lateral exercises such as haunches-in and half-pass. She is very attentive to the seat and can be ridden with a very light hand, which shows that she has both the physical and mental maturity to enjoy her work at a higher level of training.

I’ve had a lovely time training Moon and I wish all the best for her and her owner. They have the makings of a great partnership and I’m sure will have a wonderful journey together.

March 12, 2012March 12, 2012 by Charlotte Wittbom Classical Dressage

The New Moon and Shooting Stars

As promised: Here are some pictures of Moon Fox – the Spanish Mustang mare – after one month of training with me at Quinta do Brejo. She has been a lovely horse to work with – strong, willing and trusting. Our early work focussed mainly on developing communication and rapport through lunge work and then on suppleness and responsiveness through working in hand from the ground. With that foundation, she’s now feeling lovely as we begin our ridden work.

In the pictures (which you can click to enlarge) you’ll see we’re working a lot in walk, with some transitions in and out of trot, to help develop Moon’s balance and musculature. A young horse, or one early in her training will often have a tendency to fall onto the forehand and be a little uncoordinated until her strength and poise improve enough that she can carry herself in collection underneath the rider. So while we’re schooling I’m encouraging Moon to work toward a better balance with the influence of my own position in the saddle and with sensitive use of the hands. We take things little by little, so that progress is steady and surefooted and we both finish on a good note, looking forward to the next time.

In other news: Yesterday a fashion house photographed their new collection with Quinta do Brejo and our horses as a backdrop. Here are a few behind the scenes shots of the day…

Charlotte Wittbom Classical Dressage

Classical dressage training, clinics, schooling and brokering services.

Tag / Work in hand

New Bairn / Nytt Barn & New Barn

Demonstration and a clinic, New Barn, Cheshire

It’s the little things that matter

Rein, Rein, Go Away!

Arte Equestre

Over the Moon

The New Moon and Shooting Stars

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